Need a TX recommendation

[Lecostarius]

Hi all,

I would like to control a gimbal. I have a DX6i which has the 4 analog stick channels, plus two switchable channels (on/off, basically).This is clearly insufficient so I need to upgrade. But to what?

I am looking for a FC that has 6 (more would be better but 6 will do) analog channels: the 4 standard stick channels, and two more - maybe in the form of two potentiometers. I checked through various pictures of TX from the internet, but from the photo it is very hard to tell whether there are more analog channels, or not. From the descriptions, I often see 3-way-switches assigned to channels, but I need full analog control, just like the standard sticks.
Since I also use two channels for flight mode and calibration, I will need a total of 8+ channels. I am willing to change the system if I have to, i.e. I need not stick to the Spectrum system.

If you own a remote control that has 6 analog channels or more, can you please drop me a note or reply here in the forum?

Sorry for the noob question

Best, Leco

[FengShuiDrone]

.

[LutzB]

I changed from a DX6 to a FrSky Taranis plus a few weeks ago. I can only recommend this step. There is no compareable transmitter in this price range.
You get 16 channels from the built in transmitter module. Theese can be individually assigned to all available inputs. There are 4 analog pots in addition to the standard gimbals. You also get telemetry which can be feed from the multiwii via a serial connection.

[FengShuiDrone]

.

[Lecostarius]

Thanks a lot! I think it will be a Taranis, then.

@FengShuiDrone: you are using two RX because each one of them does not have enough channels, right? Other than that, I can not see how you can make more independent functions available than the number of TX channels you have. But even so, with the many TX channels of the Taranis and the relatively smaller number of RX channels that the standard receiver apparently is offering (some more on PPM, maybe, I did not go into the details), probably I would have to use your two receiver trick to make full use of it

[FengShuiDrone]

.

[Cereal_Killer]

FSD, I wasn't following at first, I was thinking you just hooked up auxiliary stuff on the second receiver. Really when you "stack" the second receiver am I understanding that you still hook it to your flight controller as channels 9, 10, 11 & 12? How many input's does your mega board have and how many passthrew output's (for gimbal control) does it have?

I really like this idea, I think I just figured out how I'm gonna setup my 3 axis gimbal, I'm gonna run a pro micro arduino with a second satellite receiver that I bind at the same time (since Naze can only passthrew one extra channel when you run all the extra crap I am l) but I'm definitely remembering your way, that's a freaking great idea man!


So anyway I do the open source hacking thing, first I use ONLY a spektrum satellite receiver on my model, that way I have no arbitrary limit on number of channels (e.g. like if you buy an 8Ch rx it limits you to 8 channels without FSD's method, with a sat that the FC runs my transmitter is the limiter). So anyway I have a Devo 7E, it's an 8 channel transmitter on its own however I've just finished up my POT to PPM arduino encoder [6 ADC input's and up to 8 switches] and now I've got 16 channels (the Devo's TAER plus AUX1-4 PLUS the encoders 6 analog channels PLUS the ability to send an additional 8bits worth of switches* but note the output of the last 8bits wouldn't be a servo signal like the first 16 channels are, they'd be serial data). All of this gets to the FC over a single wire.

It's <$20 worth of parts and works with ANY radio that accepts PPM input (like a trainer port). It'll definitely work with the 9X (it would work with the Taranis too but why lol).

A Devo is my recommendation but the 9x / Taranis, running OpenTx, will be just as customizable, both are open source FW's.


Off topic now but FSD remember the guy the other week asking about a computer joystick? This arduino sketch for the ADC encoder would work perfectly for that. It'd still need the transmitter to sent the data but you could control everything with the joystick. Even set it up like a trainer / student!